1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display device, and more particularly, to a base panel having a partition structure which can prevent cross talk between adjacent pixels, and a plasma display panel utilizing the base panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plasma display panel generates light by exciting phosphors or a special gas, and using the reaction to form an image from the generated light. Plasma display panels are typically classified into an alternating current (AC) type, a direct current (DC) type, or a hybrid type.
An AC plasma display device includes a base panel and a front panel. The base panel includes address electrodes formed thereon, a lower dielectric layer formed on the resultant structure having the address electrodes, and partitions, formed on the lower dielectric layer, to maintain a discharge gap and to prevent electrical and optical cross talk between cells defined between the partitions. The front panel is coupled to the base panel having the partitions, and has electrodes having a predetermined pattern, formed on its bottom surface orthogonally to the address electrodes, an upper dielectric layer covering the electrodes, and an MgO film formed on the top surface of the upper dielectric layer. A phosphor layer is formed on at least one side of a discharge space separated by the partitions.
In the plasma display device having the aforementioned configuration, as a predetermined voltage is applied to the respective electrodes of the front panel, cations are accumulated on the dielectric layer, a preliminary discharge occurs between one of the respective electrodes and the address electrodes to form charged particles, and a main discharge occurs between each of the respective electrodes formed on the front panel. Then, the phosphor layer is excited by ultraviolet (UV) rays generated during the main discharge to form an image.
In the plasma display device operating in the above-described manner, the partition that partitions the discharge space has a variety of shapes. A rib or barrier structure that is striped is conventionally known. In the striped barrier structure, since only three surfaces, that is, the bottom surface and sidewalls of barriers, are coated with the phosphor layer, the luminescence efficiency is relatively low.
Another conventional structure employs a waffled barrier structure. Since the barriers surround every surface of a discharge space, it is difficult to either exhaust gas from the discharge space partitioned by the barriers or to inject discharge gas into the discharge space during the manufacture of the plasma display device.
In the case of the waffled barrier, in order to facilitate exhaustion, protrusions are formed on top of the barrier using a dielectric material to maintain a gap between the barrier and front substrate. However, the protrusion forming step is a separate process, and charges move through the gap formed between the barrier and the front substrate, which may cause a discharge error.
Another known solution is to use separator walls having a zig-zag, snaking, meandering structure. This structure forms channels having relatively wide discharge cells and narrow connecting parts. While these separator walls widen the discharge space to some extent, they cannot fundamentally solve the problem of cross talk between adjacent pixels.